We hear much these days about Europe and the economic struggles it is having. Watching from afar—or at least as far as one can be in our very intertwined, economically globalized world—we tend to see primarily the outlines of the big, macro picture. A quick glance at Spanish cement demand since 2007 reminds one of how the overall downturn is hitting some sectors with special ferocity.

While many industrialized nations experienced a construction boom during the 2001-2007 period, Spain’s was one of the larger. Consequently, its cement industry grew at a robust rate for a decade. Since peaking in 2007 it has shrunk dramatically and significant declines in early 2012, on a year-over-year basis, suggest that the shrinking is far from complete. In fact, rates of consumption when measured on a per capita basis have not been as low in Spain since 1966.

Today’s market size post shows the demand for cement in Spain in 2007 and 2011. The graph shows Spanish cement consumption over a two decade period.

Geographic reference: Spain
Year: 2007 and 2011
Market size: 56.0 and 20.2 million metric tons respectively
Source: “Holcim Spain to Cut 35% of Workforce,” Global Cement, May 23, 2012, available online here. and updates from the Monthly Retail Trade Reports from the same reporting series, U.S. Census Bureau, available online here. The graph was created from data provided by Oficemen, the Spanish Cement industry association, Agrupación de Fabricantes de Cemento de España, available online here.
Original source: Global Cement and Oficemen
Posted on May 25, 2012